Chapter Twenty Three: Total Impact

What Raiden was doing now was trying to lessen the gap between him and Braun, the fight was now close to impossible if he hadn't succeeded. The technique he had now done was something he had called Total Impact. This was similar to how he stored mana in every cell in his body except instead of mana he switched it to his lightning which increased his speed and strength by a margin of thirty percent.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Braun shouted as he straightened his arm. The Valterian race was different than the other races, when Valterians went berserk they could still maintain their sanity.

"well you can try but I won't go down without a fight," Raiden said as he implemented the final stage in his battle strategy, his mana sight.

With his mana sight, he saw Braun gather a large cluster of fire mana around Braun's arm as Braun pulled his arm back. Raiden quickly predicted that a cannon of fire was being fired at him, he weaved to the right as Braun shot the fiery cannon. Even though the large column of fire didn't touch him Raiden could still feel the heat coming from it.

Raiden wasn't going to win this fight by staying far, he hadn't unlocked the ability to fire elementals yet, and by using total impact he had locked himself from using his fire and air elements. Now Raiden's choice was to close the gap between him and Braun.

Braun kept firing his canon shot but Raiden kept weaving as he kept getting closer and closer. Braun realized that Raiden could predict his attacks so he stopped firing it.

"What is wrong with me am not known as a long-range fighter," Braun thought to himself, "fuck it underestimating this kid will lead to nowhere, calm down and analyze. That boy hasn't shot any elements ever since we started fighting and seeing how he's inching closer and closer to me it's obvious that he can't."

Braun slid his left foot back as he raised his guard the minute Raiden was four steps away. This sight would be spoken of for as long as Valhalla existed, a Valterian clad in fiery flames as he faced a boy with sparks of lightning firing from his body, even the gods marveled at this. Everyone waited with bated breaths as the two clashing titans stood at arm's length of each other.

Braun made the first move, launching a thunderous punch toward Raiden. Raiden ducked under Braun’s fist and countered with a quick jab to Braun’s midsection. Sending a wave of lightning and pain where he had struck.

Braun, undeterred, swung again with his massive arm, aiming for Raiden's head. Raiden dodged his movements a blur of sparks and energy, and retaliated with a series of rapid punches, one at his gut, followed by his ribs then finally his head. Each strike was precise, hitting Braun with enough force for Braun to feel the punches. The crowd roared as Braun staggered back, but he quickly regained his footing, flames intensifying around his fists and forearm.

With a roar, Braun charged forward, swinging both fists in a wide arc. Raiden danced around him, avoiding the powerful blows, and seized the opportunity to land a powerful uppercut. Braun’s head snapped back, but the flames around him flared up, absorbing some of the shock. He responded with a mighty hook, catching Raiden off guard and sending him sprawling to the ground with a mouthful of blood.

The audience gasped as Raiden hit the ground, but within moments, he was back on his feet Raiden knew that if he hesitated he would be dead. He raised his arms, lightning crackling and dancing around his body and charged at Braun. He threw a right hook but as Braun raised his hands to block, Raiden stopped his punch mid-air before throwing a jumping back-kick at Braun's solar plexus.

Braun anticipated this he moved closer to block the kick and his gamble worked, the kick wasn't powerful and Raiden's escape was stopped. Braun quickly grabbed Raiden by his midsection he could have thrown a punch but he didn't want Raiden to dodge, Braun then concentrated his flames on his palms burning Raiden in his sides. Raiden chopped Braun at his throat Braun didn't want to release Raiden so he did the next best thing he tossed him halfway through the ring.

Braun dropped to his knees coughing and Raiden due to the consumption rate of total impact, his mana was now close to 10% which meant that he couldn't heal his wounds. Both fighters were on the ground but of the two Braun was the one who was more likely to get to his feet and he did. At this point, Raiden did as much as he could even the audience was now praying that he get up except 'Troy'.

Raiden pulled himself up to a sitting position as he pulled himself back leaning on the barrier. Braun's throat was broken but that didn't stop him. He ran to where Raiden was and as he raised his foot ready to splatter Raiden's organs all over the barrier. Time seemed to slow down as Raiden shut his eyes, the shouts of the crowd, his friends, and even the lightning crackling in his body were drowned out as the foot got closer till it reached.

Braun's foot landed but if it was fate the barrier shut off and Raiden was kicked out of the ring to a wall in the building. Silence was what filled Valhalla as Raiden was lying on the floor unconscious and bleeding.

"I can't believe it, he survived the boy survived!" the announcer said, " Braun failed."

The words Braun failed reminded Braun of the punishment that awaited him and he winced as his eyes met the masked announcer. Braun was now more than ever enraged at Raiden, he wasn't going to let the boy live. He made up his mind and he menacingly walked over to Raiden who was breathing in wheezes.

Before he could get within a ten-meter radius of Raiden, a kick landed in Braun's jaw with enough force to dislocate it, Braun stumbled to the side but before he regained his footing a pair of fiery flames grabbed his face pulling him down, where a kick was landed on his chin sending him up.

His eyes landed on his attackers and he saw the elf and the dwarf who were accompanying Raiden. The elf kicked the left knee of Braun which made him drop down and the dwarf threw a hook at Braun. The two kept alternating their hits which made it difficult for the injured and exhausted Braun to block or counter.

The elf was strong and was even faster than Raiden while the dwarf was almost as strong as Braun, Braun kept receiving blow after blow after blow till he passed out.

"Fucking asshole couldn't handle a loss," Gloin said in anger.

"That's not important, Raiden is still out of commission," Arthur said.

**Raiden's POV**

I blinked my eyes open, squinting against the light in the room. My head felt heavy, and there was a faint taste of blood in my mouth and the smell of iron in my nose. I scanned my surroundings and the first thing I realized was that there was a tube in my arms injecting some weird brown liquid from a bag to my hand and a bandage surrounding my midsection. The room had more beds on both sides covered in white sheets and pillows, my head was still spinning but I managed to push myself up into a sitting position.

Gloin and Arthur walked in with a woman who was wearing a lab coat, and a stethoscope around her neck, she was wearing small black glasses and she had green colored hair. Her expression showed that she was in a foul mood.

"come on Doc will pay you fifty gold coins if this matter doesn't reach the principal," I heard Gloin say as they got close.

"you brought a student who was at death's door and you want me to keep quiet abou... Oh, you are awake," the woman said as she walked and checked the bag.

"Raiden could you please persuade the lovely doctor here to keep quiet about this," Gloin said as he pointed all over my body.

"Please ma'am I'd appreciate it," I said as I faked wincing hoping to gain pity from her.

"Okay fine but only because you two seem like good boys," the doctor said.

"thank you very much," Gloin said.

"I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about him," The doctor said as she gestured at Arthur.

Gloin was pissed about what the doctor said but not as pissed as am going to be at him.

"doc can you give us a minute please," I said as I flashed a smile at her. She did leave after performing a few more checks on me.

"Gloin what the fuck was that?!" I said with gritted teeth.

'' Yeah about that Raiden eh argh sorry," Gloin said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I could have died for fucks sake,"

"I know I know, I just thought that Braun would knock you out, we'd get paid our 80 coins and we'd be on our way. I... I didn't think it would lead to that,"

"And what about you did you know?" I said as I glared at Arthur.

"We both know Gloin doesn't tell us anything, also he genuinely regrets it, he ran from there to here with you on his back," Arthur said.

"Also you made 1000 gold coins after the fight, it was 1090 but we cut off the 90 for our project and to make it up to you the both of us have agreed to give you the most credit," Gloin said, and the way he said it made my anger simmer down.

"Okay fine I forgive you but trust me I will get even," I said and he sighed in relief as a small smile appeared on his face.

"I understand."